holiday read

‘Bath Haus’… and 9 Other Queer Books to Read Over the Holidays

via Shutterstock

As the holiday season approaches, we find ourselves facing that time of year where many of us will spend more time at home, in search of books to curl up with or gift to the readers in our lives. 2021 has brought a steady stream queer new releases, and plenty of reasons to revisit queer books of past years with adaptations and sequels on the way in the new year.

Here, find our top ten queer books that you’ll want to keep on your radar this holiday season – from thriller, to romance, to literary fiction.

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[tps_header] [caption id="attachment_604668" align="alignnone" width="670"] via Shutterstock[/caption]

As the holiday season approaches, we find ourselves facing that time of year where many of us will spend more time at home, in search of books to curl up with or gift to the readers in our lives. 2021 has brought a steady stream queer new releases, and plenty of reasons to revisit queer books of past years with adaptations and sequels on the way in the new year.

Here, find our top ten queer books that you’ll want to keep on your radar this holiday season – from thriller, to romance, to literary fiction.

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BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gone Girl + Grindr is all you need to know. But if that’s not enough, imagine if your worst hookup story turned into an attempted murder and a runaway-train thriller chase. Oliver Park is a recovering addict in a seemingly healthy committed relationship. Everything changes when Oliver’s partner, Nathan, goes out of town and Oliver makes the mistake of visiting a gay bath house. Once he gets there, things couldn’t go worse. And that’s just chapter one. Tis the season for a healthy dose of visceral anxiety.

Available on Amazon.

GAY BAR: WHY WE WENT OUT by Jeremy Atherton Lin

Filled with well-researched history, entertaining personal anecdotes, and a healthy dose of queer theory, Jeremy Atherton-Lin gives us a breakdown of gay bars, from LA, to San Francisco, to London. There is a true balance throughout the book between “Gay Bar” – what they are, how long they’ve been around, who goes there, and “Why We Went Out” – what it means to go out, what gay bars mean in the bigger picture of queer life and identity. At the end of 2021 when only some of us have even started to go back out to the gay bars, this is a well-timed reminder of what it all means, and who we become when we’re surrounded by our own people.

Available on Amazon.

FILTHY ANIMALS by Brandon Taylor

A short story collection that will boggle your mind and break your heart, but never in the same breath. Brandon Taylor explores vulnerability, loneliness, desire, violence, and so much more with this compact collection. Each story is a literary journey that is equal parts unsettling and impossible to walk away from. Every so often, a book is just so uncomfortably honest that you have no choice but to dive in deeper.

Available on Amazon.

MY POLICEMAN by Bethan Roberts

This quiet, heartbreaking 2012 love story walks us through the complicated relationships between Tom (the policeman in question) and two very different people who are both madly in love with him: Marion, a schoolteacher who ends up marrying him; and Patrick, Tom’s true love that could never be. Oh, and this is all happening in 1957 Brighton. Why is it on our list for winter 2021 reads? You’re going to want to be caught up on this one before the 2022 film adaptation releases on Amazon Prime starring Harry Styles (as Tom), Emma Corrin, and David Dawson.

Available on Amazon

THE MAGIC FISH by Trung Le Nguyen

If there’s one graphic novel you don’t want to miss from the past couple of years, it’s The Magic Fish. With stunning illustrations and breathtaking storytelling that will be a challenge not to finish in one sitting, this tells the story of a second-generation Vietnamese teenager helping his mother learn English through fairytales while grappling with uncertainty around how to tell her about his sexuality. The Magic Fish is the perfect example of what storytelling can do, and how we can use it to express the things we don’t quite know how to say. Good luck not picking this one right back up and reading a second time after you finish.

Available on Amazon

IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen Maria Machado

A daring, unnerving, and bone-chilling memoir that details an abusive same-sex relationship. Structuring the story of the relationship through storytelling devices and tropes (Dream House as Inciting Incident, Dream House as Lesbian Cult Classic) gives the all-too-real relationship we’re reading about an elevated, breathtaking layer, meditating on language and how we allow ourselves to use it. Pro-tip: Carmen Maria Machado reads her own audiobook, and it’s not to be missed.

Aavailable on Amazon.

CLEANNESS by Garth Greenwell

An underrated 2020 gem that feels specially designed to be read in the cold weather and isolation of the holiday season. Garth Greenwell’s second novel tells the story of an American living in Bulgaria and working as a teacher. The unnamed narrator deals with queerness through friendships, hookups (both romantic and…otherwise), mentorship, and a longer-term relationship. It’s impossible not to absolutely sink into the atmosphere of Garth Greenwell’s stunning writing. This is a book that will have you highlighting every line on one page and throwing it across the room on the next.

Available on Amazon.

BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU by Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney’s third novel (following Conversations with Friends and Normal People) details two distinct relationship dynamics between two pairs of millennials, who are the classic blunt, over-intelligent, and addictive Sally Rooney characters. A rarity to see, though, are two particular characters in a relationship – a man and a woman, both bisexual. Their sexualities don’t dominate the dynamic, but they aren’t shied away from either, and certainly lead to some of the highlight scenes. If you enjoyed Normal People and want to dive back into Sally Rooney’s world, her newest release is worth your time.

Available on Amazon.

BOYFRIEND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall

If you enjoyed Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue, then whatever you do, make this your next rom-com. Adorable, hilarious, and written with a sensitive touch, Boyfriend Material takes the fake dating trope to new heights. It’s too rare that we get mid-twenties queer romances, and it even rarer that they’re this good. An incentive to bump this up on your reading list over the holidays: the sequel, Husband Material, hits shelves in 2022.

Available on Amazon.

LOVE IN THE BIG CITY by Sang Young Park

A vibrant and emotional breath of fresh air that tackles queer relationships, living with HIV, and coming of age in Seoul across four sections that follow the narrator through different stages of early adulthood. It’s hard to think of a more beautiful and earnest reflection on identity, growth, and pain through a queer lens than this book. It’s the first, and hopefully not the last, of Sang Young Park’s novels to be translated to English.

Available on Amazon.

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